LONG ISLAND JOURNAL

LONG ISLAND JOURNAL; Gathering Together, in the Spirit of Doo-Wop

By DIANE KETCHAM

Published: April 12, 1998

IN the 1950's and early 60's the men of rock and roll were mostly boys, and their names reflected that. It was Frankie Avalon and Frankie Lymon, not Frank. Danny led the Juniors. Bobby Lewis was ''Tossing and Turning.'' And Chubby, not Chub, Checker did ''The Twist.''

Consequently, record producers decided that the lead singer of the Cleftones would be known as Herbie Cox. Which was a problem, said Mr. Cox, who now goes by the name of Herb and lives in Freeport. ''You know what it was like being a Herbie in high school?'' he asked.

The high school was Jamaica, and Mr. Cox and some of his friends formed the Cleftones there. Today, 43 years after their first hit record -- ''You Baby You'' -- four of the five original members of the group are still singing doo-wop, although some of them sing it more in the shower than on a stage. While Mr. Cox has never missed a performance as a Cleftone -- in between a career in banking on Long Island -- other members retired to Florida.

On Saturday night, the Cleftones will be back together. They are planning a reunion at the Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum. Mr. Cox is the organizer of a rock and roll benefit concert called ''From the Heart III.'' More than 20 acts from the 50's and 60's will perform, and part of the money raised will be put into a fund to benefit some of the artists. ''I've had a nice middle-class existence,'' Mr. Cox said. ''But some of my friends in the industry didn't do so well. There was no health insurance, no pension. Bobby Lewis has failing eyesight. We'd like to help him and some others.''

Also being honored on Saturday, as well as performing, will be Chubby Checker and Johnny Maestro and the Brooklyn Bridge.

The key to the night, Mr. Cox said, is that the performers are all part of the original 50's and 60's groups. ''There are several Coasters groups,'' he said, ''and several Drifters groups. But the groups you'll see in our show will all have at least one original member.''

What about original clothing? Will the artists be wearing those same flashy colored suits? ''I was a skinny kid,'' Mr. Cox said. ''I'm not skinny any more. The Cleftones wore white suits. I still have some old outfits in the closet.'' And there, he added, is where they are going to stay.

Mr. Cox is the most resilient member of the Cleftones. He was 17 when he wrote the group's big hit, ''Little Girl of Mine'' (''Lil-lil-lil-lil-lil-lil -- yeah). Two years earlier, he had begun harmonizing a cappella with William (Buzzy) McClaine, Berman Patterson, Charles James and Warren Corbin, who has since died.

''Rock and roll was banned in the high school when we went there,'' Mr. Cox said. ''But during a school election campaign, one of the parties recruited us to write a slogan song. We took the rock and roll hit ''Gee'' by the Crows and changed the lyrics to make it a campaign song. We always felt we introduced rock and roll into Jamaica High School.''

The group soon was singing it across the country. After they signed a record contract, they toured with other rock and roll artists, most of whom were black. ''It was the 50's and we were in the South on a bus,'' he said. ''It was the time of the Freedom Fighters. Whenever there was a bus with blacks, the local police would follow. We had to pick our spots to eat or use the restrooms.''

One night they were starving in Alabama. ''We saw this little roadhouse,'' he recalled. ''Chuck Berry usually followed us in his own car. But this night he was on the bus. This was a real redneck place, and we were debating who was going to go in and order sandwiches to take out. Chuck said: 'I'll go. They'll know me.' He was gone so long we thought we'd have to go in after him. Finally, he came out followed by four big white guys. He was saying: ''Look here's the bus. See, we're not Freedom Fighters, we're rock and roll singers.'

'' 'Then, who are you?' one asked him. He said 'I'm Chuck Berry.' The guy said, 'Chuck Berry is white.' Chuck said, 'No, I'm Chuck.' To prove it, he started singing, 'Oh Maybelline, why can't you be true.' The guy said: 'All right, you can have the sandwiches. You're not Chuck Berry but you sing pretty good.' ''

A Trolley Rebirth

What goes ''Clang, clang'' and costs $260,000? The new Long Beach Trolley.

''People like nostalgia,'' said Edwin Eaton, the Long Beach City Manager. So the city decided to purchase a trolley, which the Federal Government helped pay for. ''We had a trolley 10 years ago, but that was just a plaything,'' he said. ''This is the real thing. It seats 33 people.''

The trolley makes a loop around Long Beach. But riders can't catch it by running along-side. ''That would be a liability problem,'' Mr. Eaton said. ''This is not a San Francisco cable car. Our trolley stops at the bus stops.''

Although it looks historic, the green-colored trolley with mahogany and brass is brand new. It was specially built for Long Beach. ''It has a deluxe stereo system on board,'' Mr. Eaton said. ''We can play seasonal music. It has the ability to play whatever we want.''

Like the wedding march. Mr. Eaton envisions the trolley being rented for special occasions. ''Wedding parties going to the beach to have pictures taken might like to travel by trolley,'' he said, ''and a kindergarten class is renting it next week. It will show the kids the community.'' At a cost of $1 a ride, or 50 cents for ''seniors,'' shoppers have been using the trolley to go from one end of town to the other.

''It appeals to everybody,'' Mr. Eaton said. ''Old people like it because they remember trolleys. Young people like it because they've never seen a trolley.'' Mr. Eaton likes it even though he can't ride on it. ''The trolley doesn't start operating until 10 each day,'' he said. ''I have to be at work earlier.''

Odds and the End

The warship San Diego has been placed on the National Register of Historic Places. But visiting it could prove a challenge. The ship sunk off Fire Island at the end of World War I. At 504-feet long, it was the largest American ship lost during that war. Long Island divers have been visiting it for years. The Navy, concerned that artifacts were being taken from it, asked for the historic designation to remind Americans that the Navy retains custody of all its vessels whether above or below the water. . . .Another year, another remarkable championship for the Bridgehampton Killer Bees. The high school, with only 46 students, has won its third straight state championship in boys basketball, and its eighth overall. No school in the state has won more. No school in the state has ever won three in a row, except for the Killer Bees back in 1978 through 1980. But the record does not stop there. Bridgehampton is the first school in the state to have a person who both coached and played for a state champion. That is Carl Johnson, the school's current coach, who played on the Killer Bees' 1978-1980 team. . . Not to be outdone, the Westhampton Beach Hurricanes just finished an undefeated basketball season that included the state public school championship as well as victories over the state Catholic champion and New York City champion. No school on the Island has ever accomplished that in one year, school officials said.

Photo: Herb Cox, lead singer of the 1950's group the Cleftones. The group and others will be giving a benefit concert Saturday night at Nassau Coliseum. (Richard Lee for The New York Times)